


Animadversion - A Christmas Miracle

by cutsycat



Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1538]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22396156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/pseuds/cutsycat
Summary: Gibbs is visiting Tony and Tali in Paris for Christmas. Tali doesn't really understand Gibbs and Tony's friendship or Christmas, but when Gibbs explains it's a time of miracles all she wants is her mother back.
Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1538]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/444514
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: 2020 Twelve Days of Christmas, The Writer's Guild Community





	Animadversion - A Christmas Miracle

**Author's Note:**

> Another dictionary.com word of the day drabble. This time from 07/17/2003 for the word [animadversion](http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2003/07/17/animadversion).
> 
> animadversion[ an-uh-mad-vur-zhuhn, -shuhn ]  
> noun  
> an unfavorable or censorious comment:  
> to make animadversions on someone's conduct.  
> the act of criticizing.
> 
> This is for Day 12 of the Twelve Days of Christmas challenge. Today's prompt is Miracles.

Tali climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the window. Tony told her that today was Christmas and that they’d be exchanging presents, but this wasn’t a tradition that she was familiar with. Fortunately, Gibbs had been willing to help her get something for Tony since she didn’t really have her own money, yet. 

She’d asked Gibbs to tell her about Christmas. He’d told her it was a time of wonders, a time of family, and a time of miracles. Well there was one miracle that Tali wanted and that was for her mother to be alive. 

She didn’t understand why her mother handed her over to Orli. Nor did she understand what death was and what that meant for her mother, who both Orli and Tony told her was gone forever. She didn’t like it.

She tried to be good for her mother by obeying Orli and Tony, but honestly all she wanted was her mother back. No matter how hard she tried to be good, she still encountered animadversion from Tony because he expected things to be different from the way her mother had always raised her. Tony was never mean about it, but it was still frustrating especially since she was expected to obey and had no say in these things.

Things were easier when Gibbs was around. He was more willing to explain things than Tony was. Unfortunately, Gibbs was only visiting for Christmas and then he’d go back to the US while Tony and Tali stayed in Paris. 

She’d tried to suggest that Gibbs could live with them, but both Tony and Gibbs had protested that. She had a feeling that there was some adult thing going on that she didn’t understand because their explanations for why Gibbs couldn’t live with them didn’t make any sense to Tali. Tony had babbled something about Gibbs and him being straight and not having feelings for each other. Tali had tried to point out that they were friends and thus had feelings for each other, but the men had exchanged looks and reiterated that Gibbs’ job was in the US and there weren’t any positions available for him here.

She’d tried to suggest that he could do something else as he was good at everything, but that hadn’t gone over well. She’d gotten the look that meant the discussion was closed and they weren’t talking about it further. Tony had followed it up with, “He just can’t, so enjoy his company while he’s here.”

The entire conversation had left Tali dissatisfied. If she wasn’t going to get her mother back maybe she could at least get Gibbs to stay? Tali stared out at the moonlight as she wondered how she could make Gibbs stay.

He seemed to like Christmas. Maybe there was something she could do to make his Christmas special. Though she wasn’t sure what. She didn’t have much to offer besides her toys. Maybe if she gave him one of her favorite toys he would change his mind and stay?

With that in mind, she wandered over to her toys. She had a few barbies, a few homemade dolls, legos, action figures, and a variety of others to choose from. While she was debating which toy would be most likely to make Gibbs stay, she heard a door close outside. Given it was early morning, she returned to the window curious who would be out and about at this hour. 

“Mama,” she shouted. 

Forgetting about trying to make Gibbs stay in favor of saying hello to her mother, Tali ran out of her room and down the stairs. Gibbs startled awake as she ran through the living room where he was sleeping, but she ignored it as she headed for the front door and wrenched it open. 

“Mama,” she called again.

The first cry of Mama had woken Tony who stumbled out of bed to see what the problem was. His hair was sticking up in all directions and he rubbed his eyes sleepily as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “Ziva?” he murmured in shock.

That exclamation got Gibbs out of bed as well. “Perhaps I should leave,” he offered.

“No, stay,” Ziva disagreed.

Tony nodded and suggested a little obviously. “In fact if you want, you could teach Tali how to make pancakes?”

“Is that something you would like, Tali?” Gibbs asked.

“Nuh-uh. I wanna stay with Mama.”

“Your mother and your father need to talk, sweetie. Do you want to play with your toys instead of doing pancakes?”

Tali stubbornly shook her head and wrapped her arms around Ziva’s leg. “Stay with Mama.”

“What did you do to her?” Ziva demanded, placing an arm comfortingly around her daughter.

“Me? I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who was dead,” Tony retorted loudly.

Gibbs and Tali both flinched at that and even Ziva looked taken aback.

“Come on, Tali. Let’s go have a tea party,” Gibbs offered. 

“Mama, come?” Tali pleaded, pulling on Ziva’s shirt.

Ziva glanced between her daughter and Tony. She briefly shook her head. “In a bit. Go with Gibbs now.”

Tali pouted, but with her mother backing Gibbs and Tony up she had no choice but to leave and head to her room. “It’s not fair,” she protested as soon as she reached her room. “Why can’t I stay with Mama.”

“You mom needs to have a conversation with Tony. I’m sure she’ll be up soon. Now what did you want to play with?”

Tali wouldn’t be distracted, though. “Why were they so angry? Isn’t this a good thing? A Christmas miracle?”

“Sometimes adults are complicated like that. I’m sure it’s a very good thing,” Gibbs reassured.

“Mama isn’t going to leave me again, is she?”

“I don’t know, Tali. I hope she will stay.”

“Tony better not chase her off. It’s Christmas, a time for families. You said so. Mama is family.”

“Yes, she is. Should we prepare a tea party for her?”

“No.” Tali shook her head. “Mama no like tea.”

“What should we do then?”

Tali frowned at him. “Convince Mama to stay.”

Gibbs chuckled. “I’m afraid that’s not on the agenda. Now we can play a game or we can play tea party or I can read you a story, but we’re going to leave your mother and Tony alone.”

“Story,” Tali demanded.

“Ok. Do you want to pick one for me to read?”

Tali frowned and wandered over to her bookcase. She had many books to choose from, but finally settled for Anne of Green Gables. She grabbed the book and handed it to Gibbs who began to read it aloud. They were probably about half way through the book when Ziva finally came upstairs. 

“Mama!” Tali yelled and rushed Ziva.

“Have you been a good girl for Tony?”

“I tried, Mama.”

“She’s been great.” Tony pronounced, coming up behind Ziva.

“We open presents now?” Tali asked.

“Sure, sweetheart.” Tony tilted his head towards the stairs. "Why don’t you go wait by the Christmas tree and the rest of us will follow you.”

“Christmas is not a Jewish holiday,” Tali heard her mother hiss as she left the room. 

She hoped that whatever discussion was occuring behind her wouldn’t take long. At least Gibbs wasn’t waiting for them to finish and had joined her again. He really was the best, which reminded her she was going to give him one of her toys.

She quickly dashed back up the stairs and into her bedroom, doing her best to ignore the angry whispers between her two parents. She picked up her favorite doll, the only one Mama had given her and headed back downstairs, but not before hearing, “Did you come back from the dead just to protest my celebrating Christmas with your daughter?”

“Why are Mama and Tony so angry with each other?” Tali asked Gibbs, “Don’t they love each other?”

“I’m sure they love each other very much and I know they both love you the most.”

“Will Mama stay with us?” Tali probed.

“Ah. Probably not.”

“Why not?”

“For the same reason, Gibbs and I aren’t going to live together, sweetheart,” Tony murmured as he joined Gibbs and Tali downstairs. “Now, how about those presents?”

“I got one!” Tali jumped up.

“You do?”

“Yep.” She took her doll and handed it to Gibbs. “This is the only doll I have from Mama. Mama gave her to me shortly before Orli took me. Since Mama’s back she can give me another doll and you can have this one. This way you have to stay.”

All three adults scrunched their foreheads in confusion at that particular display of child logic.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way,” Gibbs finally responded, interrupting the silence that had descended on the room.

“But you must stay!” Tali stomped her feet. “Who else will look after me when Tony and Mama argue?”

Gibbs handed the doll back to Tali. “I’m very thankful you were willing to share her with me, but I think she should look after you when Ziva and Tony fight. Also, I’m sure that Ziva and Tony will not fight as much in the future.” Gibbs glared at the two of them. His look making it clear that if they did and Gibbs found out, he would make them pay.

Tony gulped. “Of course not, boss.”

“We will behave, Gibbs,” Ziva agreed.

Gibbs grunted. Standing up, he held his hand out to Tali. “Let’s go get the present you got for Tony and give it to him, ok?”

“Sure.” Tali happily jumped up and grabbed Gibbs hand as they moved closer to the tree and grabbed the package that Gibbs had carefully wrapped.

“You got me something?” Tony blinked in surprise. 

“Open it, Tony,” Tali encouraged.

“How did you do this? Did Gibbs help?”

Tali nodded. “Now, open it.”

With a look at Gibbs, who just indicated the package, Tony tore it open not bothering to try and save the wrapping paper. Inside was a wooden ornament carved and painted like a piano with the words Tali’s first Christmas - 2019 scrawled across the bottom. “Now, I know Gibbs did most of this, but I bet you helped, didn’t you?”

Tali nodded. “I helped him pick the wood and the design and the colors.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

Tali grinned and gave Tony a big hug. Then she turned to Ziva and blurted, “I would have made you one, but I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“It’s alright, Tali. After we’re done with presents, I will teach you how to make a dreidel for Hanukkah and you can make one for me too.”

Tali hugged her mother and gave her a big grin. Tony took advantage of the touching moment to move all the gifts for Tali out from under the tree. By the time he was done, there was a pile bigger than Tali in front of her.

“Whoa. Is this all for me?” Tali’s eyes grew big.

Tony chuckled. “I may have gone overboard, but I wanted your first Christmas to be special and I was hoping to take your mind off missing your mom.”

Honestly, Tali stopped listening after he confirmed they were all for her. She immediately dove into the pile and started tearing the paper off of as many gifts as she could reach at once. Tony quickly moved one of the boxes out of the way, but Tali ignored him as she opened her gifts.

There was so much here. There were three new dolls and a monster truck and the latest fashionable clothes from Paris Fashion week. 

“Wow! I wanna wear that now.” Tali hugged a lovely red number to her body. 

Tony waited until she’d gone through all the other gifts before nudging the gift he’d moved out of the way back over. “Now be careful with this one. It’s quite fragile.”

Tali glanced up at Tony and nodded solemnly. Instead of tearing into the wrapping paper, she very carefully removed it and opened the box. Mew.

“You got me a kitten!” Tali squealed, immediately grabbing the kitty and squeezing it close.

Tony laughed and loosened Tali’s arms a little so that the kitten could breathe. “Be careful, you don’t want to hurt it.”

“Thank you, Tony, for all my gifts.” Tali’s eyes shined with happiness. This was definitely one of the best days of her life. Not only had her mother come back, but she’d gotten a ton of awesome gifts including a kitten. Gibbs had been right. It really was a time of miracles.

**Author's Note:**

> The dictionary.com series has no stories already written for it after this one, so I will be posting at least no more stories before I stop posting again. I'm hoping to get more stories written before then, so that I don't stop posting for a while. Wish me luck! 
> 
> The 2020 Prompts are open now! Go forth and prompt me! [Click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2020/profile) to add your prompts to my 2020 Prompt Collection. Just click the sign up link. ;) I'm hoping to complete all the 2020 prompts by the end of 2021. 
> 
> If you are not an ao3 member, you can prompt me [here](http://cutsycat.livejournal.com/50701.html). Please follow the same rules as are listed in the above link. However, because this is a handmade prompt form(that thinks it's a poll), it is considerably more limited than what ao3 provides, so please use the ao3 form if you're an ao3 member. Please note the name option is for a name that I can say this is for so that you know it's for you. Since this is for non ao3 members it won't be true gifts, but you will be mentioned in the notes. Please note if you have already voted in the poll and would like to request more stories you can just add a comment to the poll. Please include the name along with the prompt, so that I can appropriately gift the prompt to you.
> 
> For any authors that want to chat and/or are looking for a place where they can toss plot ideas around and get input from people, you can come join my discord server that is specifically geared towards writing/encouraging people to write and authors. The invite link is [here](https://discord.gg/HFvwpCq). If you're not an author, but want to chat with me about writing/stories or anything else you are welcome to join. I reserve the right to boot you from my server if all you do is pester me about updates, however. *grin* Really anyone who wants to talk about writing and/or plot ideas for various stories is welcome to join. 
> 
> Also, Drakonyashka has translated a couple of my works into Russian. [Tutelage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378780) and [Imbue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378840). Go support them. 


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